ST. CHARLES—The St. Charles Companies on Aug. 11 announced the sale of 76 acres in the Piney Reach Business Park to Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) for approximately $13 million. The Maryland-based CPV plans to construct a 725 MW natural gas power plant on the site.

"This is excellent news for St. Charles and for Charles County," said Mathew M. Martin, president of The St. Charles Companies. "Most importantly, the CPV plant will provide our county and our region with a reliable, clean source of electricity for decades to come. For Charles County, the plant will generate a significant number of construction jobs while the plant is being built, will bring approximately 24 high paying permanent jobs once operation commences, and provide additional environmental benefits by using gray water provided by Charles County for cooling, significantly reducing the amount of effluent released into the Potomac River and its tributaries. Best of all, the plant will significantly expand the property tax base of Charles County." For St. Charles, the closing represents completion of a contract that was first executed in 2007.

"A key strength of our planned community is the flexibility of land uses," said Mr. Martin. "This project will serve as the cornerstone of the Piney Reach Business Park, which contains 700 acres of large, contiguous parcels suitable for light or heavy industrial use as well as commercial uses, representing some of the best remaining tracts in the Washington DC region. With infrastructure to the site, the prospects for further economic development in St. Charles are very bright."

The St. Charles Companies includes American Community Properties Trust, The Apartments of St. Charles, American Land Development and St. Charles Community, LLC. The St. Charles Companies' lines of business include the residential and commercial development of St. Charles, a 9,100 acre planned community in Charles County, Maryland and the ownership of an operating apartment portfolio of approximately 2,500 units in St. Charles.

Federal Capital Partners® acquired The St. Charles Companies in December 2009. FCP is a privately held real estate investment company that has invested in or financed more than $3.5 billion in assets since its founding in 1999. FCP is seeking equity, preferred equity and mezzanine debt investments in commercial and residential real estate throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including Washington DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, New Jersey and the Carolinas. FCP buys assets directly as well as through joint ventures with local operating partners. The firm, based in Chevy Chase, MD, owns and manages in excess of $2.3 billion in assets. FCP is currently investing its second investment fund, a $529 million commingled, discretionary fund closed in 2012. For further information on FCP, please visit http://www.fcpdc.com.

Students interested in pursuing a paralegal career will have the opportunity to earn a Paralegal Certificate through an online course to be offered by the College of Southern Maryland in partnership with the Center for Legal Studies, a Colorado company that provides students with affordable and effective legal education through colleges across the nation. The first offering will begin Aug. 25.

According to U.S. Department of Labor data, the paralegal field is growing faster than average in the state of Maryland. It is anticipated that the job openings will increase 17 percent between now and 2020 primarily due to the number of baby boomers retiring from the field, said CSM Workforce Development Executive Director Susan Ross.

Nationally, the projection of paralegal positions is expected to increase 28 percent between 2008 and 2018, a growth rate that is much faster than the national average for all occupations. The national median earnings for paralegals is $45,480 and freelance paralegal professionals can earn significantly more.

Our research among colleges offering the program demonstrates that the Center for Legal Studies program has benefited many students across the nation. And, the program is online which enables students to obtain this credential conveniently and quickly, said Ross.

According to the Center for Legal Studies, graduates of the Paralegal Certificate Course are working in different industries throughout the U.S. including law firms, major corporations, healthcare organizations, insurance companies, the banking industry and government agencies. Students who successfully complete the Paralegal Certificate Course will receive their certificate from CSM.

Tuition assistance is available for the certificate program through CSMs Continuing Education Operations for residents of Calvert, Charles and St. Marys counties based on financial need. Visit http://www.csmd.edu/Training/Financial/index.html or call 301-539-4760.

For information and to register, contact CSM Business and Information Technology Program Coordinator Paula Coluzzi at 301-934-7557 or PaulaC@csmd.edu.

The Center for Legal Studies (CLS) was founded in 1980. CLS offers legal courses in conjunction with over 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide in live lecture, online, DVD, and text-only formats. The curriculum is updated by CLS to remain current and on pace with the newest trends in the legal industry. Recognizing the state-of-the-art technology and ease of use, online courses created by CLS were awarded top honors by Thomson West Publishing International. For more information, visit http://www.legalstudies.com.

The College of Southern Marylands Workforce Development Programs include training in automotive, business, computer and information technology, construction, early childhood, fitness and wellness, healthcare, hospitality, non-profit, real estate, teacher education, transportation and veterinarian. Training sites include the La Plata, Prince Frederick and Leonardtown campuses, as well as the Center for Trades and Energy Training and Waldorf Center in Waldorf, and the Center for Transportation Training, the Small Business Technology Development Center and the Maryland Center for Environmental Training in La Plata.